New Zealand didn’t want to lurch to the right; it just wanted change. It doesn’t know what it’s in for | Lamia Imam

The real losers of this election will be beneficiaries, low-income families, public servants and young people wanting to buy their first home

It should have been a close vote, given last week's polls. But it seems money talks and sizeable donations to the National party, coupled with a mood for change, means we saw a very defeated Labour party on election night in New Zealand.

Labour's poor showing was largely due to running a very meek and mild campaign until near the very end, and running scared of its own record in government. Chris Hipkins, the toppled prime minister, seems to have refused to run on Labour's legacy in combating Covid until the last minutes of the campaign - presumably because he did not want to be overshadowed by the legacy of his predecessor, Jacinda Ardern.

Lamia Imam is a political commentator and a former Labour party staffer